Oceans predicted to rise 3 metres in just decades

A BREAKTHROUGH study of fluctuations in sea levels the last time Earth was between ice ages, as it is now, shows oceans rose three meters in only decades due to collapsing ice sheets.

The findings suggest that such an scenario — which would redraw coastlines worldwide and unleash colossal human misery — is “now a distinct possibility within the next 100 years,” said researcher Paul Blanchon, a geoscientist at Mexico’s National University.

The study was published by science journal, Nature.

Rising ocean water marks are seen by many as the most serious likely consequence of global warming.

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicted in 2007 that sea levels will rise by up to 59 centimetres (23 inches) before 2100 due simply to the expansion of warmer ocean waters.

More recent studies have sounded alarms about the potential impact of crumbling ice sheets in western Antarctica and Greenland, which together contain enough frozen water to boost global sea levels by at least 13 metres (42 feet).

A rapid 3m rise would devastate dozens of major cities, including Shanghai, Calcutta, New Orleans, Miami and Dhaka.